Hey, y'all!

This is an example of a narrow Irish highway. Yes, highway. That is all 64 inches of me stretched out in the road.

This is a story that I can't help but tell. In the Spring of 2016, my mother, sister, and I took a road trip around Ireland. During our travels, we were making our way idly around the island, enjoying the narrow roads, opposite side of the road, and gorgeous scenery. I made a habit of singing the Indiana Jones theme song to myself whenever I was turning right into oncoming traffic. It is unnerving to have to reprogram your driver's brain for the opposite side of the road. My sister was less than amused by the differences and was often nervous when we were in hairy road situations. Of course, as my Indy singing proved, so was I. This meant that my sister rode in the back seat pretty much the whole time and mom rode up front with me.

Hazel Mountain Chocolate in Ireland just south of Galway.

During a longer stretch of the trip, we stopped at a local chocolate shop for some coffee and exploration. If you'd like to read about the full day's adventures, check out this post from the trip. We ran into a tour guide who was waiting for his bus occupants to finish a tour of the chocolate shop where we stopped. He was a very nice man and told my sister that there was an old abbey nearby and that it was a site worth detouring for. We agreed and made the pit stop. The ruins were from a 13th century monastery and were breathtaking.

Corcomroe Abbey is just south of Galway and was a wonderful stop with gorgeous ruins. Check out the full gallery here.

Panoramic of the interior of Corcomroe Abbey.

On our way out of the abbey, we saw a man and his dog out for a walk. As in most of Ireland, the dog was not leashed. Very dog friendly nation, Ireland. That is one of my favorite things about the country, actually. As we were driving down the road away from the abbey, the dog begins chasing the car and barking at the tires. Here I sit, white-knuckling the steering wheel, terrified that I am going to flatten this little Irish dog. Look out! Dumb American driving in Ireland! No idea what she's doing, screwing up our rules! I just knew I would hit this damn dog and be that guy. So scared, I beg the dog to go away and my family laughs at me, chiding not to hit the poor pup. We slow to a stop at the cross road and I'm hoping with all of my being that this dog would not run under the tires. I hadn't heard it bark in a minute or so and didn't notice a speed bump, so I'd assumed he'd abandoned the chase.

I start to turn the wheel, singing the Indy theme song, freaked out. The car moves forward, gentling making its way onto the main road and out of nowhere, I hear the small yip I'd been fearing the entire time. "Oh God!" I yelled in the car to my family, "I hit the dog! I hit the tiny Irish dog!" As my adrenaline takes over and I'm afraid I'm about to ruin the life of some nice old Irishman, I hear a cackle from the back seat where my sister can no longer contain her laughter.

Turns out, that loving and sweet sister of mine who has been angry at the driving situation the entire time we've been on the road has now yipped from the backseat to make me think that I hit a dog. A tiny Irish dog. I realize this makes her sound like an asshole. And yes, she is an asshole. But, as my eyes started to water from laughter and my rib cage started to feel sore, I had to pull the car over so that the three of us could catch our breath. My sister doesn't pull jokes like this often, but this one was perfectly timed and landed effectively. It still comes up at family get-togethers and I have to admit, I love her all the more for pulling this one on me. There are some benefits to traveling with family, especially ones who can surprise you along the way.